Branding: the first crucial handshake

When you’re considering a branding and messaging strategy initiative for your firm, one of the first things to do is take a long, hard, analytical look at the competition.  See what succeeds for them from a branding and messaging standpoint; step back and ask, “what’s my key takeaway?”  A business that embraces smart, concise branding should present a clear argument for itself that’s factual, competitive and yes, even emotional, presenting an authentic face to the world.   Their elevator speech should come through clear as day, wherever you encounter them.

Break down the branding and positioning offered up by the most impressive competitors in your category, and you’ll likely find they’re hitting on all these cylinders.  But, most importantly for any company that wants to fancy itself a brand, they’re doing more than just competent blocking and tackling: they’re delivering a powerful focus on what individualizes them, makes them stand out from the rest.

This might seem obvious.  Yet there are too many marketers – in B2B, CPG, even among the supposed “practitioners” of branding like ad agencies – that don’t go the extra mile to really, boldly illuminate what sets them apart.  “Branding” is never simply identity design, or a company tag line.  But too many businesses default to this as being a “good enough” solution.  But it’s not complete and effective branding, because it doesn’t stake out that critical headspace; whether you’re making sure you’re synonymous with a solution, offering a potent POV via Webinars or blogs, or even having that elevator chat, make sure you’ve got something powerful, singular and true to say about yourself…and never flinch from saying it in a coherent and unified way.

It’s conservatism, lack of scope, or any of a host of other malefactors that cause this.  But in an ultracompetitive marketplace, where your customer or prospect has a dozen vendor or partner choices a click-and-a-half away, strident and unequivocal branding isn’t just for the Nikes, the Apples, the Coca-Colas.  It’s that crucial first handshake on the way to an enduring relationship.